Brock Lesnar will be alone when he defends the Universal Championship in Saudi Arabia.

What's the story?

It seems that WWE is pulling out all the stops to make sure the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah on Friday truly lives up to its name with big name after big name being confirmed for the event - but one man who won't be there is Paul Heyman.

PW Insider's Mike Johnson has confirmed that Brock Lesnar's advocate will not accompany the Universal Champion to the ring when he defends his title in Saudi Arabia this week.

In case you didn't know...

The Greatest Royal Rumble is already shaping to be a WrestleMania-calibre event with a plethora of Championship matches accompanying the 50-man Royal Rumble Match in Saudi Arabia.

In a rematch from WrestleMania, Roman Reigns will challenge Brock Lesnar for the Universal Championship, but this time it will be in the form of a Cage Match. Other matches booked for the event will see The Undertaker will face Rusev in a Casket Match and Triple H will go one on one with John Cena.

The heart of the matter

PW Insider's Mike Johnson has today confirmed that Paul Heyman is not booked to appear at Friday's Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and will not be travelling with WWE or appearing at the event.

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is rarely seen without Heyman, even on house shows, but he will be alone when he walks the aisle this Friday to defend his title against Roman Reigns inside a steel cage.

PW Insider are reporting that WWE sources have confirmed Paul Heyman's absence, but there is no reason thus far why one of the most popular voices in wrestling will not be appearing at the event.

What's next?

The Greatest Royal Rumble will be shown live globally on WWE Network from the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Friday, April 27.

Author's take

Well, it's pretty odd that Heyman won't be appearing. I guess with the match being inside a steel cage, maybe we won't see a promo beforehand and thus Heyman's appearance may have been surplus to requirement - but it's strange that Lesnar will be without his advocate.

It's pretty hard to know why Heyman won't be there, though, as it could always be down to pretty much any reason from any party. We'll keep you posted as the situation becomes clearer.